Hamilton and six other members of this season’s Rangers catcher-first baseman Mike Napoli and right-handers Mike Adams, Ryan Dempster, Mark Lowe, Roy Oswalt and Koji Uehara — were among 136 players who automatically became free agents with the end of the World Series.

Right-hander Scott Feldman can become a free agent if the club declines an option at a salary of $9.25 million for next season.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said he expects this year’s free-agent market to move at “about the same” speed as in recent years .That means a front-line player such as Hamilton, American League Most Valuable Player in 2010, likely will remain unsigned when the winter meetings open in December.

Hamilton’s representative, Mike Moye, did not respond to a request for comment. Daniels said the previous arrangement with Hamilton’s group remains in place. Hamilton, a free agent for the first time at age 31, will explore the market before resuming talks with the Rangers.

The market is in a designated “quiet period” until 10:59 p.m. Friday. During this stretch, a free agent can re-sign only with his former club. Other teams can contact free agents to express their interest and lay out their plans but cannot discuss financial terms.

Daniels said the club has been in contact with the other free agents and will continue to talk with some of the players during this exclusive negotiating period.

The Rangers have until 4 p.m. Friday to submit a qualifying offer — a guaranteed one-year contract at a salary of $13.3 million — to their free agents. The players have until 4 p.m. on Nov. 9 to accept or reject the offer.

A club must make the qualifying offer to receive draft-choice compensation if a free agent signs elsewhere. The Rangers cannot get compensation for Dempster because he was not with the club all season.

Daniels declined to detail the club’s plans for qualifying offers.

The Rangers are certain to make an offer to Hamilton but face hard decisions on Adams, Napoli and Uehara. Each would receive a significant raise by accepting the offer. Napoli earned $9.4 million this year, followed by Adams at $4.4 million and Uehara at $3 million. The Rangers will not extend an offer to Lowe or Oswalt.

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